CNN reports that during a visit to Brussels, Belgium, Antony Blinken was interviewed by Dana Bash, host of CNN’s “State of the Union” program, which touched on The interview touched on a wide range of issues.
The report noted that Blinken’s remarks were a far cry from the tough language used by former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and former President Trump‘s administration on related issues. Pompeo and some Trump Administration officials have called COVID-19 the “Wuhan virus” and called for the Chinese Communist Party to be punished.
While Blinken said there is a need to “hold people accountable for the past,” he echoed other Biden administration officials in calling for Beijing to be open and transparent about the 2019 outbreak. But he stressed that the Biden Administration‘s “focus needs to be on building a more robust system for the future.
I think the issue for us is to make sure that we do everything we can to prevent another pandemic, even if we’re still trying to get through this one, or at least that we make sure that if anything happens in the future, we can mitigate any damage that we suffer in a far more effective way,” Blinken said.
A large part of the preparation, Blinken told CNN, is to “ensure that a system exists that includes the World health Organization (WTO) and features openness and transparency from the beginning, information sharing and the involvement of international experts.”
As for the WHO’s forthcoming report on the source of the outbreak, Blinken expressed doubts about the “methodology and process” involved, including “the fact that Beijing apparently assisted in writing the report.
A team of WHO experts who traveled to Wuhan, China, to investigate the source of the outbreak had said they were unable to obtain original information on COVID-19. But Blinken also said, “We’ll see what it says in the report.”
Talking about the CCP on a broader level, Blinken said the U.S.-China relationship is multifaceted, including aspects of hostility, competition and cooperation. He also stressed the importance of working with allies to meet the challenges posed by the Chinese Communist Party.
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